Side wall buffer



Jan. 10, 1967 D. E. TALLEY 3,296,748

SIDE WALL BUFFER Filed Aug. 21, 1964 2 Shets-Sheet 1 j). Z. 70 //e g INVENTOR.

ATTO/P/Vfy Jan. 10, 1967 E TALLEY 3,296,748

SIDE WALL BUFFER Filed Aug. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR.

BY QQIJKLMJ United States Patent 3,296,748 SIDE WALL BUFFER Dolen E. Talley, Houston, Tex., assignor to Crutcher- Rolfs-Cummings, Inc., Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Aug. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 391,205 7 Claims. (Cl. 51-180) This invention relates to an improved machine for polishing and imparting a finish dressing to the outer vertical surface of the usual concrete safety wall along the border of an elevated roadway or overpass.

Wherever highways are raised above the earth, it is customary in laying concrete pavement to cast a relatively narrow wheel curb along opposite edges of the roadway and also a higher protective side wall barrier. Following removal of pouring forms, the outside face of the side wall desirably is dressed down and cleaned and heretofore such dressing operation has been by tiresome and laborious hand work, with men precariously perched on ladders and scaffolding.

To eliminate danger to life and limb and to perform the dressing jo-b uniformly, faster, more effectively and more economically, it is here proposed to abrade such side surface by a simply constructed machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a power operated traveling vehicle to ride on the roadway inside the safety wall and to include an overhanging outrigger for a power actuated abrading mechanism which bears on and dresses down the outer wall surface continuously and at a given rate of work performance in relation to forward vehicle advance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle drive wheel having traction bearing on the inside of the upstanding wall and having an outside abrading device mounted for inward bias of the abrading device toward the traction wheel so as to pressure the abrading device and the wheel toward one another for good traction contact on the wall inside face and proper working force of the dressing tool on the wall outside face.

It is a further object of the invention to hang an outrigger abrading device on the vehicle through a pivotal connection which is offset inwardly from the center of gravity of the abrading mechanism so that the suspended weight affords self-acting inward swinging bias of the abrasive contact region for maintaining contact pressure against the surface to be dressed.

Additional objects will become apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the improved machine in operative relation to a roadway, a fragment of which is shown in transverse section;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the machine at the left hand side of FIG. 1 but with the power plant removed; and

FIG. 3 is an end elevation at the right-hand side of FIG. 1.

In the drawing, the roadway 1 includes the road surface 2 for vehicle travel, having along its longitudinal edge a raised curb 3 and beyond the curb an upstanding side safety wall 4 whose outside face is to be dressed. In dressing contact with the outer face is an abrasive facing 5 which may consist of a number of end to end pads glued or otherwise fastened to a backing or pressure plate 6 slidably retained within a laterally extending marginal wall 7 of a mounting strap 8. A series of coil springs 9 are interposed between the strap 8 and the pressure plate 6 for cushioning pressure forces. On the back face of the strap 8 are secured a pair of vertically spaced apart angle straps 10-10 and the two ends of the angle straps mount slide bars 11-11 which reciprocate in brackets 12-12 fixedly supported by the vertical leg 13 of an inverted L- shaped secondary frame assembly 14. A connecting rod 15 is pivoted at opposite ends to the reciprocatory strap 8 and to a rotary crank 16 on a horizontal shaft mounted in suitable bearing in the vertical leg 13. The shaft also carries a belt driven pulley 17 and is driven by a suitable motor 18 for stroking the abrasive carrying pressure plate 6.

The horizontal upper leg 19 of the auxiliary frame 14 extends across the top of the roadway vertical wall 4 in outrigger relation to a main frame or chassis 20 which has an upstanding stanchion 21 providing a hinge connection 22 for pivotally supporting the outrigger leg 19 on a horizontal longitudinal axis inwardly offset from the center of gravity of the frame 14 and the abrading mechanism supported thereby. Adjacent the bottom of the frame stanchion 21 and extended laterally from each side thereof is a mounting bracket 23 hingedly mounting a suspension arm 24 for a road wheel 25. A jack or set screw 26 carried by the main frame has adjustable mounting in the main frame and bears downwardly on the wheel suspension arm 24 for setting the relative height of the frame and for transmitting frame load through the wheel and into the roadway. A similar load wheel 27 and mounting arm 28 is mounted at each side of a dependent inward frame extension 29. The two wheels 27 ride or track on the upper road surface 2 while the pair of higher wheels 25 ride on the upper surface of the curb 3.

For propulsion of the vehicle, a traction wheel 30 is mounted on a vertical axis for tread engagement on the inner face of the side Wall 4. The traction wheel 30 is driven through suitable power transmission mechanism such as a set of bevel gears 31 and a train of belts and pulleys 32 from a suitable motor 33 mounted on the main frame. In the preferred embodiment, an internal combustion engine 34 mounted on the main chassis frame on the side of the offset hinge 22 opposite from the abrading mechanism so as to more than counterbalance outrigger weight, drives a pump 35 for supplying hydraulic pressure through suitable valve controlled piping to both of the motors 33 and 18. The two motors can thus be driven at suitable speed rates which combined with speed reduction or speed increase drive transmitting devices, will maintain uniformity of abrasive pad reciprocation in relation to the rate of vehicle travel.

The auxiliary frame arm 19 is shown as projected inwardly from its pivotal mounting 22 for connection, as by means of a rope 36, to the main frame 20. The rope connection with the main frame can be made adjustable to vary the length of the rope 36 to change selectively the position of the auxiliary frame 19 about its rock axis 22. Such adjustment provides for fitment and the setting of the machine to the vertical wall 4 and after the working relationship is properly established, there will be slack in the rope 36 so that the frame will be free to swing under gravity weight toward the traction wheel 30. This inward push on the abrasive mechanism will maintain proper working contact and also draw the traction wheel 30 toward proper drive relation with the inside face of the wall 4. Thus, as the vehicle advances, the reciprocation of the abrasive mechanism will occur directly in relation to the rate of vehicle travel and the work effected will be performed uniformly and without manual effort other than the attention which a single operator will need to give to the engine controls.

Only a single preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described and it is to be understood that the invention is capable of such modification as comes within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A traveling machine for dressing the outer vertical surface of an upstanding side wall bordering the road surface of a concrete bridge or overpass, said machine including a main frame having load supporting running gear to ride the road surface and a traction wheel mounted by the frame on a vertical axis to bear on the inner face of said side wall, a secondary frame having movable support on and projected in outrigger relation to the main frame and provided with a portion to extend outwardly of and opposite said outer vertical surface, an abrasive pad movably carried by said portion for Working engagement with said vertical surface and a motor carried by said portion and drive connected with the abrasive pad, the weight of said secondary frame outwardly of its movable support serving to bias said abrasive pad toward the traction wheel for maintaining the pad and the traction wheel in working engagement with the outer and inner faces respectively of the side wall.

2. A machine as in claim 1 together with a second motor carried by the main frame and a drive transmitting connection from the second motor to the traction wheel.

3. A machine as in claim 2, wherein both of said motors are pressure fluid operated, a pressure fiuid supply pump therefor, an engine drive connected with the pump and means supporting the engine and the pump on the main frame at the side of said movable support opposite to the outrigger projection of the secondary frame.

4. In a traveling machine for dressing the outer vertical surface of an upstanding side wall of a concrete bridge or overpass, an abrading member engageable with the outer surface of said wall, an inverted L-shaped frame having its vertical leg extending outwardly of said outer surface and positioning the abrading member for working engagement with outer surface, said frame having its other leg projected inwardly from the vertical leg, a load carrying vehicle to run on the road inwardly of said wall and having a propulsion wheel for traction engagement with the inner face of said wall, a power plant mounted in the vehicle, means joined to the power plant for transmitting power therefrom and drive connected with the abrading member and the traction Wheel for their operation and means pivotally joining said frame to the vehicle in inwardly offset relation to said vertical leg for gravity swing of the frame in the direction to crowd the vertical leg and the abrading member toward said traction wheel.

5. A traveling machine for dressing the outer surface of a vertical wall adjoining a concrete road surface, said machine including an engine driven vehicle adapted to ride on the road surface and provided with an engine driven wheel for traction engagement with one side of said wall, an abrading member engageable with the other side of said wall for the working thereof, a support for the abrading member and means movably mounting said support on the vehicle for biased action in a direction to push the abrading member toward said engine driven wheel.

6. In a machine as in claim 5, said means which movably mounts the support comprising a pivotal connection positioned toward the vehicle in inwardly offset relation to the center of gravity of the support and accommodating swing action of the support under the weight thereof for the push of the abrading member toward said engine driven wheel.

7. In a machine as described in claim 5, means mounting said abrading member for reciprocation in the support, a drive motor therefor and a crank arm drive connection joining the motor to the abrading member and reciprocating the abrading member relative to an outer wall surface engageable thereby during traction drive travel of the vehicle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,325 5/1930 Schmidt 51-204 X 1,988,138 1/1935 Peck 51178 2,049,935 8/ 1936 Woodward -f 51-180 2,559,295 7/ 1951 Grossenbacher 51-180 X 2,800,749 7/ 1957 Vinella 51-180 LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner. 

5. A TRAVELING MACHINE FOR DRESSING THE OUTER SURFACE OF A VERTICAL WALL ADJOINING A CONCRETE ROAD SURFACE, SAID MACHINE INCLUDING AN ENGINE DRIVEN VEHICLE ADAPTED TO RIDE ON THE ROAD SURFACE AND PROVIDED WITH AN ENGINE DRIVEN WHEEL FOR TRACTION ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE SIDE OF SAID WALL, AN ABRADING MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID WALL FOR THE WORKING THEREOF, A SUPPORT FOR 